Bipasha Basu:"For Dhoom 2 I finally learnt to swim. Earlier I couldn't even get into the water. Swimming was required for a surfing shot. Finally though I didn't have to apply my new skill because the sea was too rough. But at least I learnt how to swim."

Amitabh Bachchan: "For the first time in my career I had to learn a skill for Sanjay Bhansali's Black. I learnt the sign language. I think this silent but utterly eloquent way of communicating helped me become a better humanbeing and actor."

Victor Banerjee: "The one skill that I had the hardest time learning for a role, was a bit of a joke. You see, I had to learn to speak Urdu for my first film ever in Hindi Shatranj Ke Khiladi, and that too for the mighty Satyajit Ray.

I had three Urdu teachers Shama Zaidi, Javed Siddiqui and Saeed Jaffrey, all spewing venom and tearing me apart because Urdu with a Bengali accent is certainly peculiar.

And another unique skill was for a Bengali film Pratidaan where I had to learn wild the lathi to play the baddie while Naseer and Sharmila played the romantic lead.

Urmila Matondkar: "For Naina I had to learn and understand the complete body language of the blind. I also got to understand the psychological changes and physical disturbances in a person after she gains her vision. It was then that I realized how much we take our senses for granted."

Shabana Azmi: "For Morning Raga I had to master the Carnatic Swara. It was a terrifying and frustrating learning process. But it felt very very exhilarating when I got it right. Thank God for my guru Ranjini and her patience and dedication.

Lara Dutta: "I had to learn to speak French for Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. I absolutely loved it!! I got to learn the cheesiest pick-up lines."

Shilpa Shetty: "For Indra Kumar's Rishtey I had to learn to speak Hindi with a Marathi accent. That was more difficult than anything I had to face in Big Brother.

Aftab Shivdasani: " For Vikram Bhatt's Red I had to work on my body. I went through rigorous training and had to be on a strict diet for several months. Though it required immense discipline I enjoyed it tremendously.

Rajit Kapur: "To play the character of Sadanand Borde in my only Marathi film Limited Manuski, I had to ride a scooter. I didn't know how to. I reached Pune a day earlier to start practicing.

I didn't know on the first day of shooting I had to drive through the crowded streets of old Pune. I was very nervous at the outset. I thought I'd knock someone down. But eventually I had a ball.

Madhavan: "I have had to learn just one skill as an actor. And that was for the Tamil version of Mani Ratnam's Yuva. For the role of the street lout I had to walk talk and abuse like a goonda.

I spent days with guys in the chawls, told them to brief me on the art of appearing uncouth on screen without overdoing it. My entire body language changed.

Vidya Balan: "The toughest thing that I had to learn for a role would have to be plying the wheelchair effortlessly for Guru, and that woo with one foot twisted. That's when I realized how many of our physical abilities we take for granted.